‘Healthy Housekeeper’ Laura Dellutri Shares Tips for Removing Odors and Germs

Exactly how clean is your kitchen? Not as immaculate as you might imagine says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the CDC, while surfaces may look clean, many infectious germs may be lurking around(i). A regular cleaning schedule helps protect your kitchen from lurking grunge that can cause odors and harbor disease, says “Healthy Housekeeper” Laura Dellutri. She also recommends paying special attention to both the obvious and not-so-obvious spots in the room – like your garbage disposer, a big contributor to your sink’s secret grime.

“Neglecting to clean kitchen appliances is not only unhygienic, it’s unhealthy” says Dellutri, who authored Speed Cleaning 101 (Meredith Books, 2005) and The Overworked Mom’s Stress Free Homekeeping (Morris Publishing Inc, 2008). “We all need to get in the habit of not just cleaning visible places like countertops, sinks and floors, but also disinfecting out-of-sight areas like the sink’s garbage disposer and the microwave.”

Dellutri’s tips for helping maintain a healthy kitchen include:
Suspect Kitchen Sinks: Disinfecting the sink after washing meats, fruits and vegetables will help prevent germs and bacteria from multiplying on sink surfaces and help avoid cross contamination in the room. All you need is chlorine bleach, water and a soft cloth. Dilute the bleach with water and wipe the sink with cloth dipped in the solution. Rinse immediately and wipe dry with a soft cloth. If the sink looks dull or cloudy, wipe it with a soft cloth moistened with undiluted white vinegar.
Disease-Ridden Disposers: Garbage disposers typically serve as an exit for fresh and left-over foods, but without proper cleansing they can create odors and house organisms that may cause illness and disease such as pneumonia, bronchitis and intestinal flu(ii). Instead of simply masking odors with fresh lemons, Dellutri recommends using Disposer Care plus Bleach Alternative once a week to help fight this problem.
Grimy Dishwashers: Despite the myth that dishwashers are self-sufficient and clean themselves, hard water deposits, rust and food may be left inside the dishwasher, disrupting its performance and causing odors. To remove residue and offensive odors, Dellutri recommends Dishwasher Magic . It’s the only dishwasher cleaner that disinfects while it cleans, killing 99.9% percent of E. coli and salmonella.
Reeking Refrigerators: To effectively clean your fridge and free it from odor-causing culprits, Dellutri recommends a refrigerator overhaul: completely clear it out and remove any expired foods. Use hot soapy water with a germicidal cleaner to remove all food particles and spills. Before restocking the fridge, place washable refrigerator liners over shelves to help prevent the need to scrub when a spill occurs. Storage is also critical–it prevents odors and spills with well-sealed plastic containers. And of course, an open box of baking soda inside the refrigerator will absorb new odors.
Spotty Microwaves: Splatters of food in a microwave not only look and smell bad, but they may also decrease efficiency. To clean the appliance, Dellutri recommends filling a microwave-safe bowl halfway with water, adding a tablespoon of vinegar, and placing it inside the microwave. Let the microwave run for five minutes, then wipe down the inside with a clean towel or paper towel. The heated water and vinegar will steam up the microwave walls and make wiping away dried-on food a cinch.

“Truly rescuing your kitchen from a state of grunge and grime might seem overwhelming, and there are a lot of hidden areas to think about,” says Tony Cronk, VP of Marketing for Summit Brands. “The garbage disposer can be one of the easier spots to tackle if you use a product like Disposer Care plus Bleach Alternative. Just drop a packet down the sink weekly and watch it literally foam away the grunge that causes odors and harbors germs.”

Source: Summit Brands